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Boltok Pistol
Background The Boltok pistol is the standard-issue sidearm of the Locust. It is a high-caliber revolver with an 6-round capacity. It is heavier, slower to fire, and holds half as much ammunition as the COG-issue Snub Pistol, but does unequivocally more damage per shot and has exceptional stopping power. In this regard, it continues the Locust weapon-design philosophy of creating weapons with an emphasis towards brute force. In single-player, the Boltok can be found used by Drones, Theron Guards and Palace Guards with at least moderate frequency. In Gears of War 2, they are frequently used by the Bolter, a Pistol-specialized Locust Drone with good manuverability and high accuracy. It is perhaps the least-popular sidearm in multiplayer, as it is difficult to get good with due to several difficult-to-compensate-for design features inherent in the weapon's design. Tactical Use The Boltok is, by far, one of the hardest-to-employ weapons in Gears of War. This primarily stems from the combination of its small ammo capacity (6 Rounds), relatively sluggish reload rate, and inability to use it for melee strikes right after firing, because of the Boltok's substantial kick (which is another issue with the weapon, as the Boltok isn't terribly accurate). Further exacerbating its problems, the Boltok, being a revolver, fires a round that travels considerably slower than that of the other pistols, making its rounds somewhat easier to dodge at long range. Lastly, it reloads somewhat slowly. Because of all these aspects of the weapon, many players avoid the Boltok entirely. Why suffer from the Boltok's problems? The answer lies in the Boltok's upsides - not the least of which is its exceptional power. The rounds from the Boltok deal incredible damage - capable of killing an enemy in only a few shots - or a single head-shot. With Perfect Reloads, the Boltok's fire rate and firepower skyrocket, and it becomes a lethal close-combat firearm - Perfect Reloading increases both the Boltok's firepower and fire rate. In terms of raw damage, the Boltok is capable of cranking out the kind of firepower one would expect from the Gnasher Shotgun - and at a considerably longer range, to boot. Moreover, the Boltok has unbelievable stopping power, and will halt a charging enemy dead in their tracks. If all these advantages weren't enough, it has a Zoom function like all pistols (and it's actually useful on the Boltok, unlike the Gorgon). Additionally, the Boltok, being a heavy piece of metal, does much more damage than the Snub Pistol if you smack someone with it in melee. Unfortunately, due to the Boltok's kick, you cannot melee attack with it for about a half-second after firing, which prevents it from being used in the infamous Pistol Whip technique made famous by the Snub Pistol, though the damage from the Boltok's melee is high enough that it can often defeat the Snub/Whip tactic via raw damage - though this takes considerable practice. The Boltok lends itself well to a wide array of tactical applications. With its high firepower and stopping power, it does well to deal with enemies that try to charge in or get too close, and makes an amicable alternative to the Gnasher for those who dislike the Shotgun's short effective range - a few body shots or a single fortuitous headshot is all that is required to put an enemy down, provided a Perfect Reload is performed. Additionally, because it can score effective headshots, it makes for a half-decent sniping tool due to its considerable firepower - especially if the Longshot isn't available - but the slower round flight-speed and somewhat lower accuracy means you may need to surprise a foe - unless you get good at leading the target. Getting used to the Boltok's slower projectile speed and slower fire rate takes some getting used to - but as is the case with many weapons in Gears of War, practice with them is always time well-spent. Of particular note is Gears of War 2's access to the Boom Shield weapon and Meat Shield execution - which the Boltok lends itself well to. One of several issues players have with the Boltok is that it requires aiming to maximum use of (with 6 rounds a cylinder, you do not want to miss or risk blindfire shots unless an enemy gets close) - but aiming exposes you to enemy fire, and it's vastly easier to fire off a single burst of Gorgon fire or a flurry of Snub Pistol rounds than it is to line up a good shot with the Boltok. The Boom Shield (and Meat Shield Execution) take a lot of the risk out of Boltok use - and because of this, the Boltok is arguably one of the better pistols in Gears 2 when using a Boom Shield or Meat Shield.. All in all, the Boltok is a deadly weapon, though opinions of it vary dramatically. Many players see it as a useful hold-out weapon when ammo is low, or a sniping tool if a Longshot isn't handy. Others ignore the thing entirely. Many seasoned Gears veterans absolutely swear by the Boltok, however - the combination of high firepower and top-notch stopping power makes it a great weapon in tunnel fights and a good weapon for close-to-mid-range fighting - with a little bit of sniping capability when the situation calls for it - which is rather unique and make it fairly versatile in spite of its drawbacks. Trivia * The Boltok has a large affiliation light on the back, which turns red if the wielder is a Locust and blue if the wielder is a Gear. Closer inspection reveals this to actually (and humorously) be the weapon's targeting scope. * It has another affiliation light at the front of the barrel. * Going by barrel size and scale in comparison to existing real-world pistols, the Boltok is believed to be a 12.7mm Pistol (or roughly a .50 Revolver). This would explain the considerable kick and weight, as the Boltok is likely heavily weighted to resist muzzle climb and reduce recoil (and so it can be used as a club). * The Boltok is compatible with a speed-loader, which is how it reloads. If a Perfect Reload is made, the character successfully slides all rounds into the cylinder at once. If the reload attempt is failed, they push too hard and the rounds fall off the speed loader and into their hand, forcing them to load it manually. * In Gears of War 2, if you get a Perfect Reload, the Boltok will fire much faster and do more damage, giving it the ability to ladle out damage superior to any other pistol - making the Boltok surprisingly deadly once its quirks are ironed out. The projectile speed also seems to get a negligible increase. * The Boltok has received some slight balancing in Gears of War 2; the body shots from it do somewhat less damage, a change implemented because a perfect-reloaded Boltok in the original Gears could kill an Insane Theron Guard in 2 body shots from close range, let alone another player. The more crucial change was its accuracy; the Boltok is no longer as accurate as the Snub Pistol, a nerf most likely intended to prevent it from being used as an impromptu sniping tool. *In multiplayer, this weapon is a very popular choice for AI bots, who often immediately head for it's location and pick it up. They will continue to use actively until the need for a different weapon occurs. * The Boltok is favored by Dominic Santiago and is his favored pistol. He is seen using it in several cutscenes, and it is implied that the Boltok is the weapon Dominic utilised to euthanize Maria. Though he rarely uses it normally, its part of his gear and you can see it on him. * Several Gears of War 2 promotional posters and art clips prominently feature Marcus Fenix holding a Drone as a Meat Shield, and firing a Boltok. * The execution for this weapon is after you down someone, your character tosses the gun and catches it by the barrel. He then slams it onto the enemy's head, then slings it into his holster. *In the hands of an experienced player, the Boltok pistol can be improvised for a Hammerburst in that they fire and operate in much the same way, although it takes quite a bit of practice to do so effectively. *When several glitches concerning the boomshield were fixed the Boltok pistol became favored of players defending boomshield walls on Horde mode. Like the shotgun it packs a pretty heavy punch, making it ideal for killing the locust while they kick it down., in fact since the locust cant do anything while kicking it down an experienced player can land a few shots to the head possibly killing them. The shotgun often has the bullets that are fired out at the lower areas hit the boom shield, decreasing its power by half. *A boltok pistol can kill a wretch in one shot, making it ideal for Horde (although as you pass though the levels it changes to two shots, three shots at the max.), especially if you want to save ammo or if you need to deal with a range from range. Category:Weapons Category:Gears of War 2 weapons